Current and Future Plans
Progress
Formal Training of Faithful Men for Pastoral Leaders
We are witnessing God’s gracious answer to our prayers as we see the realization of our vision to have both Malawian and missionary faculty members who meet established standards of academic qualification. Because one of our core values is “pastors training pastors,” these men must be Elder-qualified, and not only teaching at CAPA but serving in leadership for their local church as well.
God has been faithful in assembling this team. One of our staff members graduated in May 2025, and we welcomed a missionary who arrived early this year. Another missionary, who also graduated from The Master’s Seminary in May 2025, is expected to join us in June. We are anticipating the return of additional staff who have been pursuing advanced studies early next year. Additionally, one of our faculty members recently enrolled in a PhD program at The Master’s Seminary.
We are grateful to see God fulfilling what we had been earnestly praying for—by the start of our formal program, we will have a strong, well-trained faculty team with both Malawian and international perspectives, equipped to provide excellent theological education rooted in biblical fidelity.
NCHE has certain requirements for the physical campus of any tertiary institution. We are making significant progress in developing our property in partnership with IBF Church. The chapel building has been completed, and our classroom block construction project is currently at 80% completion.
The project is taking on a new and encouraging appearance. While we have faced some delays due to economic challenges affecting the country, we remain hopeful and confident that we will be on track for the accreditation visit. We praise God that all the necessary funds were raised for construction through the faithfulness of generous supporters.
The progress on our campus infrastructure represents another tangible step toward resuming formal theological education, and we trust in God’s timing and provision as we work toward completion.
We are making significant progress in our application for full accreditation with NCHE, which must be granted before we can start any formal training program. We are grateful for the hard work that CAPA’s past leadership and faculty put into preparing for registration with NCHE years ago, giving us a running start into this major undertaking.
We have reviewed all necessary documents and are working to have key policies functional in our current operational state. With an NCHE accreditation visit now scheduled, we are encouraged by the momentum toward resuming formal theological education. Please pray that all proceedings would be smooth and successful to enable us to restart formal training programs.
Review and Refine Academic Programs – Our plan for academic programs is to offer a Certificate of Biblical Studies (2 years) and Bachelor’s of Theology (4 years). These programs are stackable and complementary to one another – moving from basic to advanced. CAPA will work closely with TMAI to meet their Certified Academic Program (CAP) specifications for each program of study.
Progress
Informal Training for The Church in Malawi
While we work towards Full Registration with NCHE, we can also provide informal training in a number of ways. Good teaching will be fruitful in and of itself. But there are other strategic benefits as well – church leaders increasingly exposed to CAPA distinctives, growing relationships with pastors and churches, and growing in our teaching skills. These are all important foundation blocks towards health in the future
As of February 2024, the three like-minded churches started offering an informal certificate program. Students take 12 courses, covering Biblical Studies, Theology, Hermeneutics, and Pastoral Ministry. We meet for a week of intensive classes each month, and in the intervening time there are assignments and reading to complete. So far this has been an true blessing to the both the students and instructors.
Faithful Church Conference is scheduled for July 2025 and the Expositor’s Conference is scheduled for November.
In partnership with Central African Baptist University (Kitwe, Zambia), we launched a certificate program that provides accessible theological training for people who cannot travel to Lilongwe. We greatly benefit from CABU’s experience and well-developed curriculum. The program delivers certificate-level training through one-week intensives every three months over three years, conducted largely in Chichewa (Malawi’s main vernacular language) to make the material accessible to a broader audience.
We are encouraged by the program’s growth and impact. Training is now active at two sites: one in Kasungu and one in Makanjira (Machinga district). These remote classes have expanded beyond their original scope to serve as distribution centers for our translated materials, while also training local leaders on how to effectively use these resources in their ministries.
This extension of CAPA’s reach demonstrates our commitment to equipping faithful men for ministry regardless of geographical or language barriers.
